I give the Telementor a solid 10 overall based on the optical tube assembly alone (since I can't give a higher rating). The mount can be a bit quirky but it can also be left to the collectors who simply have to have everything Zeiss. Better mounts are available and it is not difficult to adpat the tube to another mount, the Vixen GP/GP-DX for example.

I have owned three Telemtor/Telemator scopes. My first was a Telmator 2 late model (includes a finder and an AC motor driven equatorial mount) and with it I acquired a full set of the aus Jena .965" eyepieces i.e., 4, 6, 8, 10, 12.5, 16, and 25mm orthoscopic eyepieces (there are also several .965" aus Jena Zeiss Huygens eyepieces that should not be looked down on. While the fields of view of the Huygens may be a bit narrower, their optical quality is excellent. The H-16 and H-25 come to mind).

That was back in the late 1980s. I sold that first Telemator setup in the mid 1990s and have regretted it since. I now own a pair of Telementor optical tube assemblies, one is the early Telementor 1 model (Helical focuser at the back end of the scope) and the second is an early Telementor 2 model (uses an internal system to focus wherein the objective assembly rides in its own frame within the tube so that the objective and internal frame assembly slides inside, back and forth, within the outer main tube. This allows the eyepiece/diagonal to remain in a fixed position at the rear of the tube). My preference is for the early Telementor 1 with helical focuser.

Optically the Telementor is without peer, but then would we expect anything less from Zeiss. I doubt seriously if you'll ever find anyone who says they got a poor performing Zeiss Telementor. I do not believe such a thing exists. Zeiss had very high standards and if a scope didn't meet those it obviously didn't get out the door.

Unfortunately the Telementor (as with most anything East German Zeiss, otherwise also known as aus Jena Zeiss) are now in the realm of collector items. What's unfortunate about that is they will slowly be tucked away in collectors collections and fewer will see the dark of night at star parties (for fear of damage), or turn up for sale at anything approaching a reasonable price. These telescopes were made to be used, and used they should be. Optics this good are at their best under the stars so that we can all appreciate true optical quality. Thankfully they can still be found at reasonable prices... but don't wait to long to go looking for one.

Extraordinary: a perfect star-test, allied to a capability of over 100X per inch with ease. Portable and rigid, and wonderful construction quality (perhaps just a little East-European in it's somewhat utilitarian design, but who cares?). Using this small aperture refractor with it's Zeiss Huyghenian eyepieces (0.965) makes me question a lot of the "improvements" we've seen in the last 30 years in eyepiece and lens design. No one who looks through one of these beauties walks away unimpressed. I will NEVER sell this one! a perfect 10.

This Former East German Telescope is a real joy to use. Not only the optics is excellent for the purposes it was build(school/amateur telescope) but also the mount is outstanding. It has smooth focusing, solid mechanics, and very important, tube vibrations while guiding, or just when touching the telescope, are almost absent. It can be used with great success for manual guiding of attached photographic equipment. It is an example how an entry level telescope must be build!

A good mae has a telementor. A grest wee scope which has rigid design and excellent optics. I also own an APQ 100/1000which is NLA. Like other Zeiss refractors the viewing and optical parameters is very impressive if not unequaled for the scopes size and class.It is a stunning scope. I am in the process of buying an older used telementor after viewing in a friends. as a small portable high performance well mounted scope.

Also as an investment as these wee scopes will not go down in value. I missed three sales where the scope was either snapped up instantly as soon as the ad hit or the Auction price rose well over $1000 US.

God only knows what the APQ 's would sell for if one became available. I guess the 100's would go for well over$5K and the 130 and a50's for a veritable fortune. I'll hang onto mine for a while yet. The problem with parting with a Zeiss scope is missing the optical quality.The telementor's are a great concept and very well made. I would predict they would outperform many 80 mm refractors on planets. on mars(2001) the telementor kept up with the APQ100/1000 in moderate seeing. It shows that a smaller aperture holds up well on planets and doubles on an average night.